Not your typical sex story.
Too true.
PRETTY WOMEN SCRAMBLE MEN'S ABILITY TO ASSESS THE FUTURE
By Danny Penman
New Scientist
December 10, 2003
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994469
Psychologists in Canada have finally proved what women have long suspected
-- men really are irrational enough to risk entire kingdoms to catch sight
of a beautiful face.
Biologists have long known that animals prefer immediate rewards to greater
ones in the future. This process, known as "discounting the future", is
found in humans too and is fundamental to many economic models.
Resources have a value to individuals that changes through time. For
example, immediately available cash is generally worth more than the same
amount would be in the future. But greater amounts of money in the future
would be worth waiting for under so-called 'rational' discounting.
But some people, such as drug addicts, show 'irrational' discounting. For
example, preferring a small amount of heroin today rather than a greater
amount in the future.
Margo Wilson and Martin Daly of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada
decided to investigate discounting behaviour and see if it varied with
sexual mood.
Male students, when shown pictures of pretty women, were more likely to opt
for short-term economic gain than wait for a better reward in the future.
Sexual opportunity
Both male and female students at McMaster University were shown pictures of
the opposite sex of varying attractiveness taken from the website 'Hot or
Not'. The 209 students were then offered the chance to win a reward. They
could either accept a cheque for between $15 and $35 tomorrow or one for
$50-$75 at a variable point in the future.
Wilson and Daly found that male students shown the pictures of averagely
attractive women showed exponential discounting of the future value of the
reward. This indicated that they had made a rational decision. When male
students were shown pictures of pretty women, they discounted the future
value of the reward in an "irrational" way -- they would opt for the smaller
amount of money available the next day rather than wait for a much bigger
reward.
Women, by contrast, made equally rational decisions whether they had been
shown pictures of handsome men or those of average attractiveness.
"We have not elucidated the psychological mechanisms mediating our results,"
says Margo Wilson. "But we hypothesise that viewing pictures of pretty women
was mildly arousing, activating neural mechanisms associated with cues of
sexual opportunity."
Tommaso Pizzari, an evolutionary biologist at Leeds University, offers
another possible explanation: "If there's the prospect of getting a very
attractive partner it may pay a man to take more risks than if an average
partner was available."
He told New Scientist : "If this is a response to sexual selection then you
would expect men who are less attractive to take more risks. If you have
many attractive potential partners then it does not pay to take risks. If
you are less attractive, with few potential partners, then it pays to take
risks."
Journal reference: Biology Letters (DOI 10.1098/rsbl.2003.0134)
.
|
|
| User: "Ex." |
|
| Title: Re: Pretty women and the future. |
11 Dec 2003 04:32:18 PM |
|
|
"jha_amin" <jha_amin@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:33b7880.0312101809.6007b27c@posting.google.com...
: Not your typical sex story.
: Too true.
Would a guy ever get married if it wasn't true??? : )
/ex
: PRETTY WOMEN SCRAMBLE MEN'S ABILITY TO ASSESS THE FUTURE
: By Danny Penman
: New Scientist
: December 10, 2003
:
: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994469
:
: Psychologists in Canada have finally proved what women have long suspected
: -- men really are irrational enough to risk entire kingdoms to catch sight
: of a beautiful face.
:
: Biologists have long known that animals prefer immediate rewards to
greater
: ones in the future. This process, known as "discounting the future", is
: found in humans too and is fundamental to many economic models.
:
: Resources have a value to individuals that changes through time. For
: example, immediately available cash is generally worth more than the same
: amount would be in the future. But greater amounts of money in the future
: would be worth waiting for under so-called 'rational' discounting.
:
: But some people, such as drug addicts, show 'irrational' discounting. For
: example, preferring a small amount of heroin today rather than a greater
: amount in the future.
:
: Margo Wilson and Martin Daly of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada
: decided to investigate discounting behaviour and see if it varied with
: sexual mood.
:
: Male students, when shown pictures of pretty women, were more likely to
opt
: for short-term economic gain than wait for a better reward in the future.
:
:
: Sexual opportunity
:
: Both male and female students at McMaster University were shown pictures
of
: the opposite sex of varying attractiveness taken from the website 'Hot or
: Not'. The 209 students were then offered the chance to win a reward. They
: could either accept a cheque for between $15 and $35 tomorrow or one for
: $50-$75 at a variable point in the future.
:
: Wilson and Daly found that male students shown the pictures of averagely
: attractive women showed exponential discounting of the future value of the
: reward. This indicated that they had made a rational decision. When male
: students were shown pictures of pretty women, they discounted the future
: value of the reward in an "irrational" way -- they would opt for the
smaller
: amount of money available the next day rather than wait for a much bigger
: reward.
:
: Women, by contrast, made equally rational decisions whether they had been
: shown pictures of handsome men or those of average attractiveness.
:
: "We have not elucidated the psychological mechanisms mediating our
results,"
: says Margo Wilson. "But we hypothesise that viewing pictures of pretty
women
: was mildly arousing, activating neural mechanisms associated with cues of
: sexual opportunity."
:
: Tommaso Pizzari, an evolutionary biologist at Leeds University, offers
: another possible explanation: "If there's the prospect of getting a very
: attractive partner it may pay a man to take more risks than if an average
: partner was available."
:
: He told New Scientist : "If this is a response to sexual selection then
you
: would expect men who are less attractive to take more risks. If you have
: many attractive potential partners then it does not pay to take risks. If
: you are less attractive, with few potential partners, then it pays to take
: risks."
:
: Journal reference: Biology Letters (DOI 10.1098/rsbl.2003.0134)
.
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
Pretty sooooooon...........
"Pretty Boy" Berlusconi needs Wig
This is pretty cool
We r all pretty much FRICKED pretty soon, rn't we ?!?!??!?!?!??!?!??!??!?!?!?!?!?!
Uh-oh, FRICKSvillle pretty frickin' soon, peoplez ?!?! That old Fat Lady has me in her spell, that same old Fat Lady that I know so well, those icy fingers up & down my spine, that same old witchcraft when her...............
The photgraphic evidence looks pretty convincing to me......
Oh well, it'z getting pretty late down here in the truly wondrous land of oz, so it'z HOOROO once again to all of my favorite peoplez from your dearest old Uncle Wally....Nitey Nite, don't let those frickin' bed bugz bite !!!! ;-) ;-) ;-)
Uncle Wally 's Guide to keeping up with eschatological prophecy, theendtimes, & breaking newz on the fast-paced rapidly moving Middle East eventsleading up to World War III pretty frickin' soon ~! HOOROO ~!
| World War III pretty frickin' soon ?!?!??!?!?!??!?!?!?!
THE FAT LADY SINGETH PRETTY FRICKIN' SOON PEOPLEZ !! HOOROO !!
The Future's Here And It Ain't Pretty
WE R ALL PRETTY MUCH FRICKED, PEOPLES ;-)
Pretty stars, in Pretty Familiar Story
getting pretty frickin' hairy, peoplez ! What do all of my fave peepz think ?!? Had to do a little cut & paste job here coz the doom & gloom articles are coming too thick & fast for your dearest old lovable cuddly Uncle Wally to keep up !!! HOOROO !
The Fat Lady Cometh pretty frickin' soon, peoplez -- & the Mr Hankys are all eagerly lining up to have a close encounter with the fan !!!!
|
|
|
